krikyu.com team of the week Southern California claimed the Big Ten conference regular season championship in its first season as part of the league and on Monday achieved its best Associated Press Top 25 ranking in 39 years, moving up to No. 2 in latest poll. It's the Trojans' highest appearance in the AP poll since being No. 2 on Jan. 5, 1986.
USC won the Big Ten title on Saturday, beating then-No. 2 UCLA for the second time this year, 80-67 at Pauley Pavilion. It is the first regular-season conference title for the Trojans since 1994, while a member of the Pac-10 conference.
LA RIVALRY SWEEP: USC holds off UCLA to clinch regular-season Big Ten title
Southern California took down UCLA in impressive fashion, never trailing the Bruins. JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen combined for 47 points while the Trojans got key contributions throughout its roster. Watkins ended with 30 points to lead all scorers, marking her 20th career 30-point outing and third against the Bruins. Iriafen finished with 17 points — 15 of which came in the second half — and had nine rebounds for USC.
Southern California, which improved to 26-2 overall and 16-1 in Big Ten play, has played its best basketball this season in the biggest situations. The win over UCLA extended USC's winning streak to eight straight games against AP-ranked opponents. The Trojans have now scored three road wins over top-10 opponents, matching the most such wins by USC since 1982-83.
Southern California, the top seed for the Big Ten tournament being played this week from March 5-9, will open tournament play on March 7 in the quarterfinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
